Prince William’s visit to housing charity Centrepoint in London this week showed that despite all the recent changes in royal life – including his growing seniority – his commitment to a cause remains undiminished.
In fact, his commitment to the homelessness issue seems to reflect a need to continue the work started by his late mother.
On Tuesday, the Prince of Wales attended the launch of Reuben House, a new independent living project launched by the charity.
William has admitted that Diana, who remained Centrepoint’s patron after her divorce from Charles, was disappointed that decades later, homelessness was still a big problem.
Princess Diana had taken young Princes William and Harry on visits to homeless shelters to show them the reality of life on the streets.
Prince William has continued his mother’s work and was present at the opening of Centrepoint Reuben House in London
Prince William’s tireless work to end homelessness seems to reflect a keen need to finish the work started by his late mother
Visiting homeless charities like The Passage (pictured) with her sons William and Harry was an important part of Princess Diana’s education
The Prince of Wales has now made the issue of homelessness a key focus of his public work, which is a poignant tribute to his mother’s memory
“She didn’t want boys to grow up thinking the whole world was made of SUVs, shotguns and nannies,” royal biographer Andrew Morton said on Channel 5’s Diana: Queen of Hearts?
They visited The Passage homeless shelter together in 1993, which, according to William, “showed me a different part of society I probably never would have encountered”.
On the Listen Up podcast, he added, “It sparked interest at the time because the type of characters I met were incredible, they were wonderful people.”
“And the stories have always been very inspirational to me, although of course they were kept quite loose for me at that age, but gradually as my interest deepened and I spent more time talking to people.” what I have heard.’
She became known for her numerous visits to emergency shelters. One night she left Kensington Palace to visit homeless people who had managed to find a bed in Westminster Cathedral’s Parish Hall.
Many residents did not recognize the princess at first, she came unannounced at 11 p.m., wrapped in a thick black coat, and left again shortly before midnight.
During a visit to the center in 1997, Diana talks to a young homeless man at a Centrepoint homeless shelter
She was joined by Prince William on a visit to a Centrepoint hostel in Soho, London in 1996
He was pictured talking to young people at the launch of the new project, which is an important part of the strategy to tackle youth homelessness
The Princess became Centrepoint Patron in 1992 and was one of the few charities she retained her position for after her divorce.
As well as her association with The Passage, she was also a regular visitor to Depaul UK, a homeless charity dedicated to helping young people, and opened the first Depaul Trust Hostel in Willesden in June 1995.
The Princess considered taking her sons with her on visits to be a crucial part of her education, and her dedicated charity work made a significant impression on William and Harry.
Former BBC Royal correspondent Jennie Bond told Channel 5: “I think both boys had great admiration for what their mum did. They’ve watched her champion these causes, which were out of fashion and very difficult, and I think now they’re really committed.’ In the charities, they’re committed.’
To continue his mother’s work, Prince Harry visited Lesotho in 2004 and met with AIDS orphans in much the same way Diana had done 20 years earlier, and in 2019 he followed in his mother’s footsteps by walking through the former minefield on which she walked had been in 1997.
William has since taken over Diana’s role as Patron of Centrepoint and was appointed Patron of The Passage more than 25 years after his first visit.
However, his attempts to sympathize with the struggles of life on the road went beyond royal titles and in December 2009 he spent a night outdoors in London, accompanied by Centrepoint chief executive Seyi Obakin.
Speaking to the Mail at the time, Mr Obakin said: “William asked if there was anything he could do to understand what our young people are going through.”
In December 2009, Prince William spent the night outdoors with Centrepoint CEO Seyi Obakin
He was pictured talking to young people during a visit to Centrepoint homeless shelter in 2005
William was appointed Patron of Centrepoint in September 2005 – a position previously held by his late mother. He is pictured in the kitchen of a Centrepoint hostel in 2006
Prince William dances with Vanessa Boateng as Kate looks on with a laugh during a visit to Centrepoint
Prince William sang alongside Taylor Swift and Jon Bon Jovi at the 2013 Winter Whites Centrepoint Gala
“I did some quick thinking and came up with the thing I thought he would least do. To my surprise, he said yes. “We took as many precautions as possible and found a relatively secluded spot down an alleyway, partially screened by a cluster of garbage cans.”
Dressed in jeans, trainers, a hoodie and a beanie hat, William went undetected as he laid a piece of cardboard on the ground and climbed into his sleeping bag and the two stayed outside in temperatures as low as -4 degrees.
William, then 27, said in a statement afterwards: “After one night I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to sleep on the streets of London night after night.”
Still, he continued his efforts to engage with the experiences of people living on the streets, and over a decade later he went undercover as a Big Issue seller on the streets of London.
He sold 32 copies of the magazine and wrote an open essay explaining why he wanted to shed light on homelessness for his 40th birthday and posed for a special issue of the publication.
Of his experience selling the magazine over the last year, William said, “People recognized a familiar face and were happy to give me their time.” But that’s not the case with the vast majority of big-issue contributors…
“And while I may be one of the most unlikely proponents of this cause, I’ve always believed in using my platform to tell these stories and create awareness and action for those who are struggling.” I plan to do that to do now that I’m turning 40, even more than in the past.
Since then, he has secretly visited homeless centers, helped prepare meals, chatted with residents, and spoken publicly about the problem.
Prince William joined big-issue salesman Dave Martin (right) to sell copies of the magazine in London last year
He sold 32 copies of the magazine and wrote an open essay explaining why he wanted to shed light on homelessness for his 40th birthday
Speaking of his experience selling the magazine over the past year, William said, “People recognized a familiar face and were happy to give me their time.” But that’s not the case with the vast majority of big-issue contributors…”
According to the Telegraph, the prince is preparing to launch a homelessness project to mark his 41st birthday and has raised the issue at meetings with Sir Keir Starmer and Michael Gove.
He is also said to have previously considered housing homeless people on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall before his father became king.
Working with the charity Groundswell on a short film on BBC One to mark Red Nose Day, he spoke of his late mother: “I think she would be disappointed that we are still no further along in terms of tackling and preventing homelessness than we were then. ‘ was interested and involved.’
The Prince of Wales has vowed to educate his children about the plight of the homeless, just as he and his brother were taught by their own mother.
Speaking to Dame Mary Berry for her Christmas special, A Berry Royal Christmas, in 2019, he said Prince George and Princess Charlotte would ask, “Why can’t they go home?”
He explained at the time: “Remember they are already six and four years old on their way to school. Whenever we see someone sleeping on the street, I talk about it, point it out and explain why.” are all very interested. They say, “Why can’t they go home?”